Heavy Cross
by AnnieBug16
Summary: Annie left Beverly Hills to get away from her half-sister from Hell, and her less-than-perfect ex. When she returns she finds her status and friends at West Bev to be slipping away. Annie must change into the kind of person she's always hated to get the guy and take Naomi down. (AUC, WIP, slight fluff, CelebLiam)
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

People always told me, growing up, that love was effortless. That it would come to you if you gave it the chance and wasn't looking for it. My grandma told me she knew a man once- she swore she loved him and he asked for her hand in marriage. She felt like she was living on cloud nine, and said yes. Two years later they were married and had a kid; my mom. Then a man came along, he was sweet to her and she hadn't felt like he made her feel _… ever_. And she knew then that what she had with my grandpa wasn't love; it was just fondness. She knew that she should have waited for true love to come along before jumping into something.

I didn't buy it, and I swore I wouldn't let some ancient story stop me from finding true love. Sought out or fought out, I would find my prince charming and we would live happily ever after.

Ever since I was a little girl I would dream about finding the One. Me and my best friends, Silver and Adrianna, would sit in my room and cut out features from magazines that we wanted our perfect guy to look like. We vowed we would never settle, and never compromise ourselves. We were pretty cocky.

I guess you could say I was beautiful; I had long brown hair, shiny brown eyes and big smile. Everyone thought my face would get me a good marriage- but it was so much more than that. It wasn't about a good, wealthy marriage for me. It was about that instant connection, the heart-quickening-way he'd look into my eyes, the way I'd just _know._

No one told me it was going to be hard. No one thought to.


	2. Come Back When You Can

**CHAPTER 1**

Hugging my jacket around myself tightly, I stepped off the airplane in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. You would think I would feel at home here, but it felt almost alien to be back. The sun was shining in an artistically beautiful way, even though it was raining lightly. I squinted into the sun with a feeling that could only be described as dread. It pained me to be back in L.A. after a long stay with Aunt Mimi, but I needed to come back. You couldn't hide forever.

Heading down the escalator, I caught sight of my parents waiting to greet me at the end of the terminal. I was expecting this, but I'm still surprised when I see them. I suppose the reason is because I was half-expecting my antagonistic, disagreeable half-sister to be standing there as well—looking stout mouthed and uncomfortable. But it was just my parent's standing there. My mother's cheeks were flushed and her round brown eyes, exactly like mine, were bright with tears.

My father stood beside her with a proud smile on his face. "There's my girl!"

I smiled back, throwing my arms around him. We only hugged a moment before he surrendered me to mom.

"Honey, I've missed you so much!" She wrapped her arms around me in a titanium grip. Reluctantly, I gave into her hug, breathing in the smell of her hair; like lavender and honey-suckle. Those thin arms curled around me like they were always supposed to. I'd missed her warmth and the motherly aura she gave off. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed her.

"Mom, dad," I choked, then smiled, trying to rein in my growing emotions, "Just… thank you. For being here, I mean. It makes up for the absence."

"Oh, sweetheart," my mom said, pressing a tender hand against my face. She patted my cheek, and then smoothed a lock of hair out of my face. "Naomi wanted to be here, but she has SAT prep and you know how hard she's been working to get into Berkeley."

"It-it's fine, mom. I wasn't expecting her to be here anyway, not really."

Naomi and I hadn't been on strong terms when I left. It was hard to believe she would still hold a grudge over what happened, but she's done worse.

My parents exchanged what they must have thought was an inconspicuous look, then she smiled softly. "Let's get you home. I'm sure you're tired after all that travelling. Harry, get her bags."

We waited for my luggage in silence. My parents' worry for me was obvious in the air. Our happy reunion was quickly souring as the minutes ticked by. I knew their thoughts were now consumed with Naomi, whether they were comparing us or not. We found our way out of the airport and into my parents' silver Lexus in no time. My father had already put my bags in the trunk and we were speeding through the hills, towards our home.

It worried me how exact everything looked, like the town was never changing. I know I wasn't gone _that _long but wasn't there a rule that things had to at least change a bit? I still felt trapped by the bright sky and the people and the crowded buildings. By what didn't happen between me and my boyfriend, Teddy Montgomery. I didn't know if that was the right word to use anymore; we hadn't talked since I left. It was my fault, mostly; I couldn't get over what happened. Normal people, or people like Naomi, would have basked in the after-glow of winning. I couldn't have gotten out faster.

I felt a strange apprehension that something was going to go horribly awry in my wake. It was a silly thought but it still made me wonder. Maybe I should wait to go home; being around my sister right now didn't seem like such a good idea. I still didn't know how she felt and we hadn't seen each other in a while, maybe it was best to let my parents warm her up before gracing her with my presence.

Or maybe I just wasn't ready to be home. I had thought being around my parents would be a permanent solution. I thought the shock and depression over what had happened would eventually fade but it didn't.

My parents were the same, too; my father drove and pretended to be mildly interested in what my mother was saying as she touched up her make up in her compact mirror.

"Annie, you've gotten so thin while you were away. Was Mimi feeding you alright?"

"You already know the answer to that one, Debs."

"I'm just trying to make conversation, Harry," my mom replied, and then they both chuckled like they just told an actual joke.

I decided now would be a good time to make my escape. "Would you be able to drop me off at Ade or Silver's? I've really missed my friends."

"I think you should be home right now, Annie," my mom announced.

But then my dad spoke up. "Oh, let her, Debbie. We still have _things_ to do at _home_." He said slyly, and then looked back at me, "So, should we drop you at Adrianna's?"

I was almost offended that they thought I wouldn't catch on to that obvious hint at a Welcome Home Party, then I remembered the distaste my parents had shown for Silver's middle-class family. Suddenly I wanted to be as far away from them as possible.

"Yeah, Ade's is fine."

I wanted to point out that it was also 20 minutes further but held back.

A few moments later we pulled up to Tate-Duncan's; a sprawling light blue house with delicate white shudders, freshly cut grass and a white picket fence. The house was so 60's show home it made me smile; elegant and cheery. Just like Ade.

I stepped out of the car and grabbed my bag. Knowing I should, I stepped towards my mother's window and waved goodbye politely until they drove away.

How I wished my mother and I could just sit down again and have that good old one-on-one mother-daughter talks we used to before Naomi came along. Don't get me wrong—I welcomed Naomi into our home with warmth. Not everyone would after finding out about an illegitimate half-sibling. I just wish she hadn't destroyed things so much between me and my mom. Before I could come to her with everything; from a scratch on my knee to boy problems—now I could barely look her in the eye.

"Hey!" someone shouted, pulling me from my reverie.

I turned warily to see a guy walking down the street towards me. Maybe I had met him before I left and had forgotten? But as he got closer I seen his face and I knew I would never forget someone who looked like _that_.

He was a Greek god—then again I was probably a little biased; I had a thing for John Varvatos and this guy was wearing one of the leather jacket's from his Spring/Summer collection.

"Sorry to disturb you," he said, flashing a smile that somehow made him even more dashing. "I'm Ethan Ward, the new guy in town."

"H-hello," I said, sticking my hand out to greet him as an uncontrollably wide smile spread across my face. "I'm Annie Wilson."

He took my hand and smiled at me; I noticed he had perfect teeth. "_Very_ nice to meet you—do you live here?"

Ethan's light blue eyes appraised Adrianna's house, giving me some time to study him. With that scruffy brown hair and adorable smile, it was clear this guy was going to be big at West Bev. God, he was beautiful. I just might jump on him now.

I shook my head, clearing it subtly. "I'm visiting a friend." It took a while for me to notice I was just standing there, looking at him. "I should—go. Yeah, I'm gonna go."

He nodded but stopped me. "I was actually looking for my dog. It's an American Foxhound."

I bit my lip; I didn't know what kind of dog he was talking about, but I knew they were really common in Virginia. "Uhm, nope, don't think I've seen it."

He chuckled and looked at me oddly with those smoky blue eyes. "It's white with brown spots, and it also happens to be my dad's most expensive, prize-winning dog so he would probably have an aneurysm if he found out I lost it."

I giggled stupidly; _god, what am I doing? _Out of habit, I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "Well, I'll look out for it."

"You do that," he said with a small smile, turning away. "Later, new girl!"

I watched him walk away, probably for too long because by the time his words sank in, he was more than a block away. I felt like shouting back that I wasn't new, that I had been here before him, and that I had a legacy, but there wasn't a point. I would probably never see the guy again.

As I skipped up the long white staircase of Adrianna's house, Ethan Ward had all but vanished from my mind.

Kind of.

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**A/N ****Hey guys! First of all, I would like to thank you for reading! :) I know it's too soon to determine but I feel like I'm onto something with this idea! Secondly, I ask you to please take some time to review and tell me what you think, no matter how horrible. **

**Oh, and if there's anyone interested in being my beta, please don't hesitate to contact me!**

*******P.S. Liam's making his first appearance in the NEXT chapter!  
*P.P.S. This is a Lannie fanfic, not a Ethnie!**


	3. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

**CHAPTER 2**

It wasn't until I was about to knock on the door that I thought how rude my unexpected arrival was, then was shocked to feel this way. Before my trip I always showed up unannounced at my friends houses; it was just the way we worked. When we needed each other then we were there for each other, but I didn't know if the same rules still applied.

I decided to just take the plunge; if anything Adrianna should be happy to see me! I knocked lightly on the door then took a step back.

Just as I thought, her mom answered the door. She did a double take when she seen me standing there. Then the striking blond woman laughed, "Annie Wilson? What on earth are you doing here?"

I smiled politely, "Uhm, hi, Mrs. Tate-Duncan, I'm here to see Adrianna. Is she in?"

"Oh, of course, of course," She raised an eyebrow, the modified skin barely moving a centimeter. "I'll tell her she has a package from…?"

I look at Ade's mom, waiting for her to finish the sentence, then I got what she was saying. "Oh! London. I, uhm, I went to London… to visit family."

"How quaint," she said with a pert smile. "The girls will be happy to see you."

Then she ducked back inside the house, all too swiftly slamming the pretty white door in my face. Suddenly I was left standing there like an idiot. I was struck for a second; why didn't she invite me in? She had been acting normal enough; this wasn't normal. I worried for a second that I might be treated like more of an outsider than I liked.

Impatiently, I kicked the toe of my ballet flat against the cobblestone. A car whizzed by and the guy in the passenger seat shouted 'Hey' no doubt recognizing me from school. I pressed a hand to my forehead, hiding my face at the same time. Really, how long did it take to give someone a message?

Just as I turned back to the door, I caught sight of a moving figure in the neighbor's driveway. I squinted through the bush that was in the way, leaning to the side. Then, all of a sudden, the bush ends and the guy's looking at me as if I'm some crazed paparazzi. I froze, in my half-crouch, then straightened out and leaned against the house casually. The guy, who was looking more familiar by the second, turned his full body towards me and raised his hand in a wave, throwing me that winning smile. You can tell this is just to make me go away.

Suddenly it felt like my entire body was on fire. Holy crap. That's Liam Court. That's the guy from _Epic Thunder_. That's the most beautiful man in the world. I smiled, letting out something between the word 'Hi' and a mating call. Since I was thoroughly mortified, he turned back the way he came, shaking his head.

Of course that's when I hear a door open above me. I look up, confused, and then remembered that there was a bay window above that opened off Adrianna's room. I stepped back some more.

"Annie!" Ade cried, her head sticking out of the window, looking down at me. She still looked the same; shiny black hair and green cat-like eyes, not to mention her Crest-white smile.

"Ade!" I practically screamed, my embarrassment mixing with excitement. "Hi!"

"Come on up!" She ducked inside again before I could respond.

I opened the front door and hesitantly walked in. Looking around, I realized everything was still the same. The only difference was that now there were pictures lining walls in the foyer. I stepped closer and studied them, they were hideous. I was never one for abstract, but then again I was never really one for art, period.

Turning away from the mess of color I noticed something else was different; there used to be a table with pictures from Adrianna's childhood— including pictures of me, her, and Silver. Now the table was empty, only a bouquet of roses sat in the middle. I swallowed and climbed the stairs, two at a time like I used to.

When I got to the top I turned to the left instinctively and walked down the hall to Adrianna's bedroom door. It felt oddly nostalgic, being in this house again; almost like I had never left. I wondered if things had changed as much as I did.

This is silly, I thought to myself. They're still my best friends. Just go in there! They've missed you.

I took a deep breath and gripped the handle, feeling the cold metal beneath my sweaty palm, and then I threw it open, probably with a little too much force.

That's when I found myself staring at my new-old best friends. Their attention was on two big piles of clothes on both sides of Adrianna and the dress she was holding up to her curvy bodice. When I left, Adrianna hadn't discovered the full potential of her body yet and now she was sporting a sexy hour glass figure. The other thing was Silver's hair, where before it was shoulder-length, now it was long and waving down the middle of her back.

"Oh my god!" Adrianna suddenly said, dropping the dress she was holding and running towards me. Instantly she pulled me into a tight hug. "Annie, I've missed you so much!"

I hugged her back, "I've missed you, too."

With my head resting on Ade's bony shoulder, I saw Silver scooting off the bed and skipping towards us. She wrapped her arms around us and squeezed. I smiled looking at my friends. I hadn't seen them in so long, yet it was like nothing changed.

Ade pulled away first. "Ok, we're going through Ins and Outs of my wardrobe!"

Silver gave me a look. "You can guess this wasn't my choice of activity."

"No, its fine," I laughed. "Honestly I'd be game for anything right now."

"We didn't know if you'd come back," Silver admitted, grabbing my hand and towing me towards the purple duvet-covered bed. She sat behind me and started braiding my hair. "You've been gone a whole semester."

"You didn't think I would abandon you guys forever did you?" I teased.

"How was London anyways? Was it glamorous?" Adrianna asked, flopping down on the bed on her stomach. "I'm going to fashion week there."

"Of course you are," I laughed, enjoying the feeling when the airs of bubbles peeled effortlessly up my throat; I hadn't laughed wholly in such a long time. It felt good. "Well, I can't speak for everyone, but for me it was … sensational."

"Ooh la la," said Ade with a flirtatious sparkle in her green eyes.

"No, nothing like that," I admitted, shaking my head.

"Well, it's not like you're tied down," Silver said with a sarcastic lilt. I freeze. Was that a jab at me or a joke? There's no way to tell since I can't see her face. No, I'm probably just being paranoid. Right?

I'm still thrown by her comment when Ade breaks the short silence. "So, when did you get back?"

I cleared my throat. "Actually, I just came from the airport."

Silver finished braiding my hair and fell onto the bed beside me, so I could see her face. "I just can't believe your back. You are back aren't you?"

"Yes, I am totally and completely back. I'm even registered at school again."

Silver smiled, "Well, I, for one, am very excited about this news."

"It's almost as good as the other news," Ade said.

I raised my eyebrows. "What other news?"

"Well, a couple weeks ago I got new neighbors …" Ade said, bringing all her dark hair to one side. "It just so happens its Liam Court. You know, he's the guy who stars in all of those _Epic Thunder_ movies?"

"Uhh, yeah," I answered, suddenly feeling paranoid. Had they seen my embarrassing display outside? "So he's super dreamy with washboard abs and a charming smile, what's your point? He's just another guy."

"We're not talking about Liam," Ade rolled her eyes. "He's way out of our league, anyways."

Silver cuts her off excitedly, smiling wide, "But he has this brother, Ethan Ward, who's our age, goes to our school and is pretty much the perfect male species!"

"Which is why he'd be perfect for you," Adrianna finished, the corners of her mouth rising in contempt. She didn't sound happy that this was the 'obvious' outcome.

"What?" I blurted. Whoa, so wasn't expecting that. "Guys…I'm not ready to start dating again. Teddy and I are _barely_ broken up."

"Yeah, but everyone thinks you are," Ade said, as if that made things easier.

Silver added, "And I don't mean to rush things, but plenty of Senior girls already have their eye on him."

"So we'd better start planning your attack soon."

"I can get his schedule by Monday-"

"Enough, enough!" I said, throwing my hands in the air. Standing up, the room felt like it was spinning around me. Maybe things _should _have changed while I was gone. Was this really how it was before I left? Looking at their baffled faces, I knew it was. My stomach turned. "This isn't right, you guys."

Silver and Adrianna exchanged an uneasy glance. Erin spoke, "We thought when you came back you'd want to get back to the way things were …"

"I do, it's just that-" I paused, trying to assemble my feelings into words. "I can't keep planning these things. And-and just because there's some hot piece of meat up for grabs, doesn't mean I have to go for it!"

They stood there; both with their mouths open in surprise. I couldn't tell if I had offended them or not, but I stood my ground. It was a while before someone spoke, finally Adrianna broke the silence. "So you don't want to be Queen B anymore?"

My head snapped towards her. "Why do you think that?"

A dip formed between her brows: I instantly felt horrible for sounding so sharp.

"I do, I just don't want to use scheming to find guys anymore! It has to be me or nothing, you know?" I sighed, looking into both their eyes. "I used scheming to get Teddy and look how that turned out. We made up a huge plan about how to get Silver on Ty's arm freshman year when we didn't know what a skeeze he was. I talked my teachers into giving me good grades, but then ended up having to cram before the PSAT's. The point is; it hasn't gotten me anywhere." I paused, looking at both of their faces. "I think it's time we turned over a new leaf."

Adrianna stepped towards me with a righteous look on her face. I noticed she was now at least three inches taller than me. "Things aren't going to change, Annie. We have people who look up to us, people we need to guide."

Silver stepped forward too, crossing her arms, "Look, she's right, Annie. Things have been this way forever. It can't change just because …" Her quick, sympathetic blue eyes studied mine then looked away. "Well, you know."

I crossed my arms. "Because I have?"

She looked down with a pained look on her face, "Don't make me choose."

Defeated, I swallowed, nodding. "Okay, it's true. I've changed but it's not because I don't love being your friend. I-I just realized if I keep manipulating guys into falling in love with me then I'm never going to find …" I trailed off, looking into both of their eyes, aware mine were filling with tears, "find love. Real, passionate, one-in-a-million love, can't-fight-it-any-longer love. And-and I just don't think this Ethan guy is it."

The girls were silent, considerate. Finally Silver smiled, letting out something between a laugh and a sigh, "It's okay, Annie."

Adrianna swept her hair onto her back and breezily walked towards the intercom beside her closet. "Holga, we need some margaritas up here- stat." She turned back to us.

I was sure both Silver and I's expressions were the same.

She shrugged. "It seemed like we were getting into the heavy; and that requires alcohol."

I couldn't help myself; I burst out laughing. Silver and Adrianna eventually joined in.

About an hour later we three were sitting on the bed, finishing up our third margarita and talking blissfully. All the tension from earlier, forgotten.

"I'm just saying; you wouldn't even have to scheme, he'd probably fall in love with you without having to try," Adrianna said.

"Why would you think that?" I asked, taking another sip of my margarita. "The idea of someone falling in love with me is about as impossible as getting Silver to stop spying!" I threw a pillow at Silver who was standing at the window, trying to get a glimpse of Ethan with a pair of her dad's binoculars.

"_Oof!_" She groaned when the pillow hit her. "I am _not spying!"_ She threw the pillow back, narrowly missing my drink. "I'm just doing some re-con."

"I actually wouldn't mind a glimpse of Ethan." I said, deciding that not telling them about our earlier meeting would be best.

"Trust me, you will _not_ be disappointed," Silver said with a grin, bringing the binoculars back to her face.

"Will you stop?" Ade said, getting up to tear them away from her. "If he somehow sees you then Annie will have zero chance with him because of her creepy best friend.'

"Will you relax? He's not even home yet," Silver laughed, coming to sit beside me.

Ade rolled her eyes and I giggled; I had missed this. Silver had always been quirky and it was the best thing about her.

While Silver and Adrianna chatted about how cute Ethan was, I looked around the room. It was exactly the same as when I left, which was strangely comforting, but there was something different. My eyes landed on a little white table near the door of her room with pictures on it.

I glanced at the two girls who were still engrossed in their conversation. Slipping off the bed, I walked towards the photos. As I got closer I realized what they were; the pictures that were supposed to be on the table in the foyer—pictures of the four of us when we were 5, 8, and 12, leading right up to the time of my departure.

My eyes filled with tears, my heart suddenly felt warm, though I didn't know why. It was hard to explain what those pictures meant to me. Maybe they were solid proof that someone actually did care about me, whether they were family or not.

Silver and Adrianna were suddenly behind me. "I brought those up here after you left," Adrianna said softly, clearing her throat. "It was so sudden… At first Silver and I thought you had been kidnapped."

"Yeah, until we saw Teddy," Silver added, dropping her voice. "I'm so sorry about what went down between you and Naomi."

I spun around and threw my arms around them. "No, I'm sorry I left."

"You had no choice," Silver said with a shrug.

"Yeah, after how Naomi and Teddy treated you," Ade shook her head, the brown hair around her shoulders moving with her.

"Uhm, yeah, well it's in the past, so," I said, forcing a smile. I wondered exactly which story Teddy told them, whether it was the truth or not. "Anyways, I have to get home. My parents are having some sort of dinner for me."

Silver glanced at Adrianna then back to me. "We'll come with you!"

"Really?"

Adrianna nodded, "Totally! We missed you, and how are you supposed to get home?"

I smirked, "I was going to call a cab like normal people."

Silver waved her hands at me. "Nonsense, Ade and I will go with you."

On the way to my house, I couldn't help that strange feeling to worm its way into my heart again. It was crazy, but I was sure something was going to go wrong tonight. I just didn't know what. Something told me it had something to do with Naomi, and the truth about what happened that night with Teddy.

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**A/N As always, I ask you to take a moment to review. At least so I can thank you for reading! :) **

**P.S. How do you like Liam's intro and Annie's dorkiness? **


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